Beauty is Only Skin Deep
Chapter 4
It was later that evening, after hitting the hardware store and working on Maddie's house all afternoon that the three of them ended up back at the Duke farm. Maddie felt welcomed the moment she entered the old farmhouse and was introduced to Uncle Jesse.
"Well, you're the young lady that Bo and Daisy's been tellin' me about," Jesse said with a smile.
"I must be," Maddie grinned back. "I do hope it was all good though."
"Oh that it was," Jesse answered as he gestured her to a chair at the table. "Hope you're good and hungry."
"I'm starving. We didn't have much of a chance to eat any lunch except for some sandwiches."
"Well, you and I didn't get ta eat much," Luke said as he winked at her. "Bo however, purty near cleaned her out of house and home."
Maddie giggled at the look that Bo threw at Luke, now very familiar at the way they would tease each other. "I didn't eat all that much," the younger Duke boy protested.
"Bo, ya practically cleaned out the poor girl's refrigerator," Luke returned.
"That's our Bo for ya," Jesse teased. "That boy could always put away the food."
"Uncle Jesse…" Bo whined in disbelief that his uncle was now picking on him in front of their guest.
"Oh believe me, it's not a problem," Maddie grinned. "Especially after all the work Bo and Luke did today. It was worth it." Bo turned and gave Luke a smug look.
"Well, the next time he comes and helps ya, I'll make sure ta pack him a lunch sos that ya will have something ta eat yourself," Daisy said as she sat down at the table.
"In the meantime, ya eat as much as ya can here in return for what Bo and Luke ate at your house," Jesse ordered with a smile.
"Yes sir," Maddie said, instinctively knowing not to argue with the Duke patriarch.
"Good," Jesse answered and then lowered his head to say Grace."
The dinner conversation was lively as the banter between Luke and Bo kept Maddie very entertained. Jesse took the time to find out more about the boy's new friend and was impressed when his nephews told him about the items that she had made and she quickly invited Jesse and Daisy to come out to her place anytime so that the could see what improvements that she and the boys have made to the house.
A few hours later, after she unsuccessfully hid a yawn, Bo volunteered to take her home. After being hugged by the three remaining Dukes, she followed Bo outside to where the General sat. She stopped and looked at the car, blinking at the sight in front of her.
"Is anything wrong?" Bo asked as he saw the blank expression on her face.
"That's your car?" she asked as she moved for a closer examination.
"Mine and Luke's actually," Bo smiled. "That's the General Lee. Do ya like him?"
"He's a beauty," Maddie said in awe. "What kind of car is he?"
"A '69 Dodge Charger. The fastest in the county."
"I'll bet," she said as she ran her hand over the top of the car.
"I take it ya like cars?"
"Actually, I do like the muscle cars but I mostly buy for functionality not beauty, hence the station wagon that I have."
"Well you're welcome ta ride in the General anytime ya want ta," Bo smiled. "Hop in and I'll take ya home Hazzard style."
"Hazzard style?" Maddie asked, curious as to what that meant.
"Trust me, you'll enjoy it," Bo grinned his famous grin.
Maddie pushed the button for the door handle and almost pulled herself into the side of the car when the door didn't open. "Where's the lock?" she asked when she looked inside to pull it.
"Oh, it's not locked. The doors are welded."
"Welded?"
"It's a race car. The doors are supposed ta be welded shut for safety reasons."
"Well that explains it, I guess. How do you get in then?"
"Through the window. Here, let me give ya a hand." Before she could even protest, Bo had picked Maddie up and slipped her inside through the window. She sat in the passenger seat with a stunned expression on her face.
"That…was interesting," she finally said as she caught her breath.
"Swept ya off of your feet, didn't I?" Bo laughed as he leaned in through the window, a smug smile on his face.
"You sure did."
"Just wait. Ya haven't seen anything yet." Bo quickly ran around to the driver's side and deftly slid himself through the window. He started the powerful engine and tore off down the driveway as Maddie frantically grabbed onto the doorframe.
Back in the farmhouse, the other three Dukes watched as the General took off down the road. "Oh that poor girl. Bo's gonna scare her ta death drivin' like that," Daisy said as the car disappeared from view.
"I don't know about that," Luke grinned. "I think once she gets over the initial shock of the way he drives, she's gonna enjoy herself."
"I agree with Luke," Jesse said. "She's a strong one, that girl is. Bo better watch himself though. I think he's met his match in that one."
"Ya think so, Uncle Jesse?" Daisy asked hopefully.
"Yep, I do," Jesse nodded and Daisy grinned happily.
"I wouldn't have thought of her as the kind of girl that Bo would go after, but I hope ya two are right. She's good for him."
"Like the old sayin' goes, 'Don't judge a book by its cover'," Jesse grinned, Luke and Daisy nodding in agreement.
01 01 01 01
After scaring her with a few wild corners and a couple of small jumps, Bo stopped and parked the General in front of Hazzard pond just to let Maddie calm down a bit. "Do you always drive that way?" she asked, half scared, half excited.
"Oh that was pretty calm compared ta the way I normally drive," Bo grinned.
Maddie turned to look at Bo with a grin on her face. "Actually, all that fishtailing sort of reminded me of driving in the snow back home."
"Ya had ta drive in snow?" Bo asked in wonderment.
"Had to? That was a requirement. The part of Pennsylvania that I come from could get hit with some pretty good snowstorms. The joke around there was a foot or less is considered a dusting."
Bo's eyes widened with shock. "You could get a foot of snow? At one time?"
"Uh hum. Usually more. Living by Lake Erie, we would get what was called lake effect snows. Depending on which way the wind blew, you could get anywhere from a coating to over a foot of snow, maybe more. You learn real quick how to drive in it. It might slow us down some but it never stopped us."
"Man, down here, if the word snow is even mentioned, we stick close ta home."
"If we did that, we would never leave our houses in the wintertime," she chuckled.
"I guess you're right," Bo said as he nodded his head in agreement, then he took a deep breath. "So did ya have a good time tonight?"
"Maddie immediately grinned. "Oh yeah, your family is great. I don't think I ever felt at ease so soon and it sure helps with the homesickness."
"Well ya know you're invited over anytime. Uncle Jesse wouldn't have it any other way…and I'd like it too," he said as he looked at her out of the corner of his eye.
Maddie turned to face him with a look of surprise on her face. "You…you mean that?" she asked, a slight tremor in her voice.
"Sure I do," Bo answered as he tuned to face her. "You're funny, smart, and definitely talented. I've never seen a girl that's so sure of herself as you are."
"I don't know about that," Maddie protested.
"I do," Bo replied as he leaned closer to her. "I think I can honestly say that I've never met a girl like you before."
"Big you mean?" she answered before thinking.
Bo stopped his decent and looked at her. "Just because you're not a skinny, little, helpless twig as ya like ta call 'em, doesn't mean that you're not beautiful."
"Bo, I…I"
He didn't give her a chance to respond. He quickly closed in on her and lightly kissed her lips, sending shivers down her spine. When he pulled away, he saw the look of awe on her face and how hard she was breathing. Smiling, he moved in for another one.
"Wow!" Maddie said when they finally broke for air.
"You liked it?" Bo asked with a hopeful look on his face.
"I uh, I…wow!" she answered. She took a few moments to compose herself and then looked at him. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Why did you just kiss me?"
Bo peered back at her with an astonished look on his face. "I kissed ya because I wanted ta."
"It wasn't a pity kiss, was it?"
Bo was once again floored at her remark, a hint of anger rising in him. "Did that feel like a pity kiss ta ya?"
She hung her head and shook it. "No. It's just…I…I'm sorry for ruining the moment, Bo. It's just that I'm not used to getting attention like that."
Bo's face softened and broke into a smile. He placed a finger under her chin and lifted it up so that he could look into her eyes. "Well, ya better start getting used ta it. I liked it and I would like ta do it again…if you'll let me that is."
A small smile lit her face. "I'd like it if you did it again, too."
"Well then get ready, 'cause here comes another one," Bo grinned and moved in once again.